The nightmare stories are all true, but it was good. Made me so strong after that year of getting my confidence beaten out of me.

And then before going back for my sophomore year, I decided to change my major to arts and sciences, and my dad cut a deal with me: He said if I'd quit school he'd pay my rent for the next three years, as if I were in school.

My dad loves to be talked about, good or bad. He just loves it. He's not even hearing the content, he's just hearing him. When I'm onstage, he's looking at the audience members and can't believe that there are strangers listening to me, and he's just delighted by the whole thing.

If we had our preferences, of course we'd like all the stories to be good, strong positive stories. But even when we've had stories that are something other than that, I think the situations are being handled the right way.

History is full of really good stories. That's the main reason I got into this racket: I want to make the argument that history is interesting.

Guess what, Martin Luther King? I had a (expletive) dream, too.